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What's Up, Up Here? All the news and gossip for Jan 20-26

It’s a July 4 tradition. Mid-afternoon/evening, Mammoth empties out and migrates to Crowley for the fireworks. That bugs town councilman Matt Lehman to no end, so he’s going to put some alternatives before the council at the Feb. 1 meeting. …

From the Public Works Department: Ray Jarvis said the town has a new federal grant to study the feasibility of one-way traffic in the Lakes Basin. …

The intrepid Friends of the Inyo and its cadre of volunteers have their work cut out for them this summer – literally. Hundreds of downed trees have blocked popular trails, especially those coming out of Reds and Agnew meadows, says Stacy Corless of the FOI. …

In the “If its not one thing, it’s another department,” the airport is having problems with its water pumps, owned and operated by Hot Creek Aviation. …

New record: At the Recreation Commission-Town Council workshop Wednesday, everyone was there. Everyone! …

Snow’s coming just in the nick of time. This from skier extraordinaire Chris Lizza, on Facebook: “Perhaps the worst conditions ever at Mammoth today (Sunday, Jan. 15). I’m calling it a boilerplate sandwich: a mean layer of rock underneath, then a thin layer of unedgeable marbled ice, topped with earthen and organic debris churned up and blown in from hither and yon.” …

Mammoth Track Club marathoner Josh Cox (P. 1) says he got a rude welcome to Houston’s Olympic Trial last weekend. Cox and his wife, Carrie, filed a report with Houston police detailing what they believe was an attempted carjacking by what could have been a suspect impersonating a law enforcement officer at about 7:30 p.m., Jan. 11, near the rental car facility at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Yeesh! Baby in the back seat, by the way. Car? Rented Ford Focus. Ford Focus? Really?!? …

John Wentworth of MLTPA sure gets around. He was in Bridgeport with the Mono County Supes this past week, describing the big trails plan set to hit the ground this year. What with all the budget cuts to the U.S. Forest Service, MLTPA might be biting off a big chunk of long term trail maintenance, let alone planning. …

No one came up with last week’s football trivia contest, which was: What longtime Mammoth boarder and skier, and whose parents have had property here for years at Juniper, had a stellar collegiate career and this past season became a starter for an NFL team? Answer is all about bears: Chris Conte, Cal Bears ’11 and now starting safety for the Chicago Bears. Thanks for the trivia, Patrick Phelps, MHS ’07 and now deployed to Afghanistan for the fifth time. …

When Rick Wood won his age division at the Houston Marathon last weekend, he shattered his personal record by a whopping 17 minutes using those big, fat red blood cells athletes get up here. …

Here’s Meb-the-K on his welcome home party Tuesday night: “I love how our town of Mammoth Lakes supports all of us runners to be the best!”

Big, big deal in Bishop next weekend. Bishop residents John Williamson and Amy Steinwand will be awarded one of the state’s highest honors for heroism after they helped rescue two high school students, Drew Dellis and Derek Thomas, from a burning vehicle in the aftermath of a terrible accident south of Bishop in August 2009. California State Association of Firefighters Valor Committee Chairman Jeff Loveland and several colleagues will travel from Southern California for the ceremony Jan. 28. Word is also out that at least one of the young men they rescued will be there too. ...

When Mammoth Tourism Director John Urdi ordered up banners for Meb’s victory party Tuesday, he considered asking the MMSA signsters to use London Olympic mascots Wenlock and Mandeville, but the mascots are just too weird, he said, so he went with the straight Olympic rings instead. …

Kinda weird to see TNT repeating “The Bourne Identity” and “The Bourne Ultimatum” over and over, and that’s all we’re going to say about that, Up Here.